Learning. Technology. Life

The Promise of Chromebooks

About a month ago I bought myself a Chromebook, and I think now would be a good time to reflect on my experience so far. The model I bought was the now discontinued Samsung 550, which was the highest spec machine available, other than Google’s flagship Chromebook Pixel.

A Chromebook is a fairly basic laptop running Google’s ChromeOS, which as the name suggests is a close relative of their Chrome web browser. I’ve found that many people don’t look beyond that and discount is as just a web browser with a keyboard, but I think that seriously underestimates the possibilities of the device.

Before I go on I should point out that I’m not the target audience for a Chromebook – I need access to specialist applications like Captivate and Storyline – so unless I change careers I’m not likely to swap to using a Chromebook as my sole or main device any time soon. However, I’ve found that when I don’t need those specialist tools the Chromebook does most of what I need, and does it very well.

Many of the tools I use live in the cloud anyway, so things like email and calendar (in the shape of Gmail and Google Calendar) are the same on a Chromebook as they are on my Mac. Office apps can be replaced by Google Docs, or if you prefer familiar Microsoft products (and you’re an Office 365 subscriber) you can use their Office web apps. For many people, email, calendar, office apps and a web browser are pretty much all they’re likely to need – but what if you need more?

There is an increasing number of apps available which do a pretty good job of replacing most common apps: photo editors, music players, ebook readers, text editors, games, the list goes on. If you’ve never used Chrome, take a look at the Chrome Webstore to see what’s available.

The most common question I’ve been asked is “what do you do when you don’t have an internet connection?”. It’s a simple fact that many of the available apps do need you to be online, although some have an offline mode that allows you to work when you’re not connected. But things are changing; Google recently announced the launch of “Chrome Apps”, which in Google’s words:

…brings together the speed, security and flexibility of the modern web with the powerful functionality previously only available with software installed on your devices. (Think apps designed for your desktop or laptop, just like the ones for your phone and tablet.) These apps are more powerful than before, and can help you get work done, play games in full-screen and create cool content all from the web.

There’s no doubt that Google are developing a full blown operating system, and the speed with which they are doing so is impressive.

So, are we going to see Chromebooks replacing traditional laptops and desktops in organisations? You know, I think we could. Perhaps not yet, but given the pace at which they’re adding features, I don’t think it will be long. Anyone with an interest in online learning content should certainly take a look because I’m sure we’ll be seeing greater adoption of these devices in the coming years.